Some September comments on 2021 election platforms

In advance of the September 20, General Election, the party platforms have been analysed by the voting public and many political commentators. Some of that work is presented here. Nik Nanos, the chief data scientist at Nanos Research reported at the end of August on the question of which party the respondents trusted on various issues.[1]

 

 

Andrew Coyne comments that the key to understanding any party platform is to read the part that is written in invisible ink: There is what it says, and then there is what it does not say, which is usually far more significant.[2].

 

Ricardo Tranjan reports that parties don't get it. Renting is not a phase. It's time to shift the housing debate. [3]

 

There are other differences, of course, on climate change, COVID-19 policy, and a host of smaller promises. And there is still a sense in this campaign that the two biggest parties haven’t fully captured the priorities of Canadians. Campbell Clark, reports in the Globe and Mail, that the words have been all over the place, but the numbers make the differences clear.[4]

  

 

Professor Kathryn Harrison is concerned with climate policy target ambition, policy ambition, transparency, cost, progressivity, and feasibility (constitutional and admin).[5]

 

Patrick Brethour reports, in the Globe and Mail, on the assessment of party platforms by the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy.[6]

 

A review of this analysis of party platforms may be valuable in making a voting decision.

 

References

1	(2021, September 3). Poll shows three-quarters of Canadians don't ... - The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 4, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-poll-shows-three-quarters-of-canadians-dont-see-the-election-as/
2	(2021, September 3). They may differ (slightly) in what they say, but in what they don't say .... Retrieved September 3, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-they-may-differ-slightly-in-what-they-say-but-in-what-they-dont-say/
3	(2021, September 7). Platform Crunch: Parties don't get it—renting is not a phase. Retrieved September 8, 2021, from https://monitormag.ca/articles/platform-crunch-parties-dont-get-it-renting-is-not-a-phase
4	(2021, September 10). The numbers make the differences between Liberals and .... Retrieved September 10, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-the-numbers-make-the-differences-between-liberals-and-conservatives/
5	Updated comparison of targets and policies as of September 12. Harrison,K.[@ProfKHarrison]. Sept 13,2021. Updated comparison of targets... [Tweet].[twitter].https://twitter.com/ProfKHarrison/status/1437198558730457095
6	(2021, September 13). Tories, Liberals and NDP eye billions of dollars from cracking down .... Retrieved September 13, 2021, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/taxes/article-tories-liberals-and-ndp-eye-billions-of-dollars-from-cracking-down-on/